The Merchants of Cool is a great documentary about how marketers study the teen segment to find out how to sell to the largest generation of teenagers ever. In 2001 teenagers spent more than 100 billion and made their parents spend an extra 50 billion. The documentary discusses the ethics of marketing to this segment [...]
For those who miss the interruptions of commercials you can now get your fix at Firebrand.com. You can watch a constant stream of random commercials or select specific categories. Sound like fun? Well it is. Everyone has at some point searched for a great commercial on You Tube. The buzz around Superbowl ads shows that [...]
The brilliant book, How Consumers Think, has a very interesting insight on the power of placebos that connects with the book’s theme on the impact of unconscious thinking on consumer behavior. The Placebo Effect, which is typically used in a medical context, also has very profound marketing implications. Our perceptions, expectations, and beliefs have a [...]
I recently spoke to a co-worker who asked the common rhetorical question about marketing: “Isn’t marketing just about selling people things they don’t need.” I happily engaged in the intellectual sparring match, as I enjoy enlightening those unaware of how marketing makes our lives better. Granted, marketing is not as noble a cause as teaching [...]
